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Dead Man Winning

Posted by DAN SAVAGE on September 13 at 17:00 PM

Does this strike anyone else as, oh, just a little odd?

The Human Rights Campaign—the mainstream gay group that occasionally endorses Republicans despite, well, everything—is holding their annual black tie dinner/fundraiser on Saturday September 16. If you go to here you can read about their 2006 Equality Award, which is presented at the dinner. Here’s a little info about the award from HRC’s website:

The Equality Award is HRC’s way of acknowledging a particular person or group that has stood out in her or his efforts to secure equality for the LGBT community in the past year.

Guess who’s getting the award this year? Cal Anderson, Washington state’s first openly gay member of the state legislature, the man they named the lovely new park on Capitol Hill after. Anderson won’t be there to accept this award in person because, uh, Cal Anderson has been dead for eleven years.

I only met Anderson a couple of times—and I liked him. He had something most of the self-appointed gay leaders around here sorely lack: good political judgment. My favorite example of Cal’s wisdom: Anderson worked like hell to stop Hands Off Washington from launching their ill-advised and ultimately disastrous pro-gay rights initiative, which he not only knew would fail but also regarded as unethical and immoral. (You don’t put the rights of a minority up for a vote.) The way to pass gay and lesbian civil rights protections, Anderson insisted, was through the legislature, not the ballot box. (Sadly Anderson, who was dying of AIDS at the same time HOW was dying of stupidity, could only delay the initiative for a year.)

It’s hard not to read HRC giving this award to Anderson as an intentional a snub of State Rep. Ed Murray. The gay and lesbian civil rights bill that passed last year? It was called the Anderson-Murray Civil Rights Bill.

The Anderson-Murray Civil Rights Bill (HB 2661), which had languished in Olympia for nearly three decades was signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday during a special ceremony at the Capitol building… The crowded room included the legislations earliest backers, such as former State Sen. Pete Francis, the bill’s original sponsor, and Roger Winters, who testified in favor of the legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1977. Francis told the Seattle Gay News on Tuesday that he had introduced the bill because he felt it was “the right thing to do.”

Gregoire thanked House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) and Majority Leader Lisa Brown (D-Spokane) for their “unwavering commitment and hard work” to get the legislation to the Governor’s desk. She also thanked Reps. Joe McDermott (D-Seattle), Jim Moeller (D-Vancouver) and Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines)—three of our state’s four openly Gay legislators. However, she reserved her deepest gratitude for Rep. Ed Murray (D-Seattle), who has introduced the legislation continuously for the last 11 years.

“Ed. On behalf of the citizens of our great state, thank you for your perseverance, strength and commitment,” Gregoire told Murray, who is also Gay.

Cal Anderson, Washington’s first openly gay state congressman, spent each of his eight years in the legislature fighting for a gay rights bill which, at the time, he knew had no chance of passing. When Anderson died of AIDS in 1995, Rep. Ed Murray, Anderson’s former campaign manager, took up the cause and spent the next decade as the bill’s lead sponsor.

Twenty-nine years after the first gay rights bill was introduced in Washington, the tireless efforts of Anderson, Murray, and thousands of activists culminated in the passage of HB 2661 last week…

The passage of Washington’s gay rights bill was historic—it was also a bright spot in what was, on the gay rights front, an otherwise dismal year. And Ed Murray made it happen.

Again, I liked Anderson, and I don’t want to take anything away from his memory or his legacy. But it seems odd that this award is being presented to Anderson alone. He’s an historic figure, and a trailblazer, but can you really argue with a straight face that Anderson “stood out in her or his efforts to secure equality for the LGBT community in the past yearā€¯? The man who truly stood out in his efforts over the past year—over the past eleven years—was Ed Murray. A case could be made for giving the award to both men. But solely to Cal Anderson?

Silly Dan, you're letting logic get in the way of a bunch of A-list gays dressing up, having supper together, and then sending a bunch of money to DC. There's not supposed to be a REASON for their little soiree. Move along... their lives are going just fine... no inequality to see here...

Cal Anderson was an amazing, down to earth guy. I had the opportunity to meet him a few times, and I always came away from our encounters inspired and with the feeling that politicians like him gave us a reason for real hope.

As pointed out here, many, many people were responsible for driving the bill through after 30 years. I don't understand, Dan, why you think it dishonors everyone else who worked for equal rights to honor the man who first stood up for GLBT rights in this state. I'm sure HRC meant no disrespect to any of the 100s of people who were instrumental nor does HRC think all others were unimportant. Ed Murray is an HRC ally, and unlike some of you sourpusses, he has always been supportive of HRC's efforts locally and nationally, and he has been repeatedly recognized by HRC for his tireless efforts on so many fronts.

HRC cannot possibly be all things to all GLBT people (especially to those who refuse to get involved in steering the organization), just like NOW cannot be all things to all feminists, and the Democratic Party cannot be all things to all Democrats. If you want to make a volunteer organization like HRC reflective of you and your individual penchants, then get involved, with no excuses about how you are not an A-Gay or an A-feminist or an A-Democrat.

It is really unfortunate that there is so much tear down that happens within the LGBT community. Dan...you do realize that the HRC Dinner is completely put on by a very small group of volunteers that work tirelessly on this event sacrificing jobs, relationships, and any kind of a decent summer. So...unless you are planning on attending the dinner..maybe you should ask a little bit more before offering your comments. Yes..Cal Anderson is receiving the Equality Award...we decided to do something a little different this year. Ed Murray has received the award in the past and will be presenting the award to his good friend Cal Anderson. He will also be calling out many other people that were involved along the way in helping to get this bill passed. The presentation is going to be beautiful and very thought provoking. Cal was there in the begining...out and proud and fighting...which in my experience, the Seattle LGBT community overall has forgotten to do. We need to FIGHT for our rights...they aren't going to be handed to us. We must demand them. But so many people can't be bothered because their lives are too busy and way too comfortable. We have forgotten that we are in the middle of a civil rights revolution. So I invite you to attend the dinner and see that yes, we are asking for money, but we are also demanding that people go out and do the work and make a change. Hopefully we will see you Saturday night!!

It is really unfortunate that there is so much tear down that happens within the LGBT community. Dan...you do realize that the HRC Dinner is completely put on by a very small group of volunteers that work tirelessly on this event sacrificing jobs, relationships, and any kind of a decent summer. So...unless you are planning on attending the dinner..maybe you should ask a little bit more before offering your comments. Yes..Cal Anderson is receiving the Equality Award...we decided to do something a little different this year. Ed Murray has received the award in the past and will be presenting the award to his good friend Cal Anderson. He will also be calling out many other people that were involved along the way in helping to get this bill passed. The presentation is going to be beautiful and very thought provoking. Cal was there in the begining...out and proud and fighting...which in my experience, the Seattle LGBT community overall has forgotten to do. We need to FIGHT for our rights...they aren't going to be handed to us. We must demand them. But so many people can't be bothered because their lives are too busy and way too comfortable. We have forgotten that we are in the middle of a civil rights revolution. So I invite you to attend the dinner and see that yes, we are asking for money, but we are also demanding that people go out and do the work and make a change. Hopefully we will see you Saturday night!!

It must be a slow news day if we're not discussing the latest developments of the Savage 14th/Howell garden (which BTW, is one of the best additions to the neighborhood!!!)

If I'm not mistaken, a city park was just dedicated to a dead politician - why can't he get an award, too?

Seattle Magazine recently featured a story about all the pioneering work Cal did (year after dismal year) to keep the gay civil rights bill from dying on the vine. He passed the legacy on to Ed Murray, who helped make the dream a reality.

Aside from Murray (who was already given an award) and the late Anderson, what other prominent Seattle fag or dyke should be given an award this year? I'm sure HRC wants to know for next year, especially from an audience that doesn't support their cause... or probably any political cause (it's much easier to sit back, do nothing, and spout off one's opinion - is if it truly matters).

And, who are these A-List gays?? I hear people bitching about them all the time, but i have yet to see proof they exist. Is it a money factor that makes you A-Gay? If so, then let a bunch of homos spend their dough to fund a political action committee to fight for my rights. One less thing to do on my check list.

So unless people are going to support HRC or go to their dinner, then let's shut this mutha down and get back to the Savage garden.

Word on the street is that HRC did this (giving the award to long-dead Cal) as a snub to Murray in retribution for not endorsing Jamie Pedersen earlier in the campaign, when a lot of the Seattle and national HRC honchos were pressuring him to. Or, you can accept the non-explanation offered above: "We decided to do something a little different this year."

Actually, the decision to award Cal was decided back in back in the SPRING of 2006 and Ed Murray was already tapped to present the award BEFORE he made his decision to endorse the candidate he feels best to succeed him.

I can't believe there are still so many gays out there that trash HRC while they sit around and wait for equality to arrive on a silver platter. The organization in DC -and- the thousands of volunteers around the U.S. work day and night to make changes on the Federal level. This is hard and expensive, and I know this because I worked both in Washington DC and here in Seattle on the steering committee. What makes me one of these soiree-hopping A-listers? I really don't have any money or big-name friends. I just have a family that wants to see me happy and a boyfriend that I hope to see in the hospital if I'm ever sick. Maybe some of the people that *think* they know what HRC does should try actually working with them for a while. Donate some of your time or money to LGBT equality instead of a trip to Barney's to get the redesigned Michael Kors Peacoat (which I totally want but donated $400 to HRC instead.) When we were deciding to give Cal Anderson the Equality Award we were only thinking about his great accomplishments and the theme of the dinner. These rumors of "snubbing" Ed Murray (who we love) or not finding any other fag or dyke in Seattle to recognize are just another example of the cattyness and insecurity that plague so much of the gay community. Stop creating imaginary drama and put your obvious passion for this issue to good use. We could use more volunteers on Saturday for this big, meaningful event. Please email me if you'd like to help. sander at premierresources dot net.

As one of the co-chairs to this year's local HRC dinner, I write to offer some clarifications and, hopefully, some perspective to what the Equality Award is and why we chose to honor Cal Anderson this year.

As you noted, the Equality Award is designed to recognize someone who has stood out for his or her efforts to secure equality for our community in the past year. Yes, you would typically expect that this would mean an individual who has been active this past year. But in light of the passage of the Anderson Murray Civil Rights bill, and our dinner theme, we felt honored to recognize Cal Anderson.

This award is presented by our local HRC Steering Committee and Dinner Committee, both of which are comprised soley of local volunteers. Our Dinner Committee is made up of approximately 40 local LGBT and allied volunteers, who have been working since January to put this dinner together.

Our theme for this year's dinner is "Revolution: It's about Time." We chose this theme because it challenged us to be active and vocal in our fight for equality. Revolutions often seem so big and overwhelming, but they most often start with individuals who create small acts that grow into something larger.

Cal Anderson was such a revolutionary, and we are very pleased as a committee to honor his him. He served openly as our state's first gay legislator, and worked continuously to advance legislation for equality. Following his death, many legislators stepped in to continue this fight, and continue the revolution. With the passage of the civil rights bill this year, we felt it very appropriate to honor Cal for his revolutionary work.

We look forward to this weekend's dinner. It is indeeed a fundraiser for HRC, and we hope to make a significant contribution on Saturday night towards the work that HRC, and in turn, our local organizations do to continue this revolution.

Please let us know if we can answer other questions you or others have regarding this award, the HRC dinner, or how HRC operates at the local and national level. Thanks!

As one of the co-chairs to this year's local HRC dinner, I write to offer some clarifications and, hopefully, some perspective to what the Equality Award is and why we chose to honor Cal Anderson this year.

As you noted, the Equality Award is designed to recognize someone who has stood out for his or her efforts to secure equality for our community in the past year. Yes, you would typically expect that this would mean an individual who has been active this past year. But in light of the passage of the Anderson Murray Civil Rights bill, and our dinner theme, we felt honored to recognize Cal Anderson.

This award is presented by our local HRC Steering Committee and Dinner Committee, both of which are comprised soley of local volunteers. Our Dinner Committee is made up of approximately 40 local LGBT and allied volunteers, who have been working since January to put this dinner together.

Our theme for this year's dinner is "Revolution: It's about Time." We chose this theme because it challenged us to be active and vocal in our fight for equality. Revolutions often seem so big and overwhelming, but they most often start with individuals who create small acts that grow into something larger.

Cal Anderson was such a revolutionary, and we are very pleased as a committee to honor his him. He served openly as our state's first gay legislator, and worked continuously to advance legislation for equality. Following his death, many legislators stepped in to continue this fight, and continue the revolution. With the passage of the civil rights bill this year, we felt it very appropriate to honor Cal for his revolutionary work.

We look forward to this weekend's dinner. It is indeeed a fundraiser for HRC, and we hope to make a significant contribution on Saturday night towards the work that HRC, and in turn, our local organizations do to continue this revolution.

Please let us know if we can answer other questions you or others have regarding this award, the HRC dinner, or how HRC operates at the local and national level. Thanks!

What are the victories on the federal level that HRC can point to? I really, really can't think of any. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is still in force, the Federal Marriage Amendment keeps getting reintroduced and no one's even thinking of repealing DOMA. How about ENDA? Still no progress there.

In short, HRC is totally ineffectual. Why would I give them a penny? The ACLU fights for gay rights, and they actually chalk up some victories. I'm much more inclined to support them. Plus, I'm pissed that HRC is so willing to sell out trannies.

Why the hate on a group that works hard to further the rights of marginalized people nationwide? Many well loved organizations such as hospitals and environmental groups hold black tie fundraising dinners with no such bigotry and certainly not from those they are attempting to champion. I for one am sad to see blindness from so many.

Cal Anderson was a lame asshole. Yeah he did a little bit for Seattle, but in the long run he was a small town politician who could have never made it in Washington DC. I'm glad The Stranger isn't afraid to rip down Cal Anderson. I'm so sick of hearing how great he was. He has a fucking park named after him. That's more than enough. I'm glad The Stranger has the guts to question this award. Just because the guy is dead the gay community keeps honoring him.

Hey Gitai! I realize this thread is dead and stale and moldy, but have you noticed that NO ONE is effectual at the federal level? You can thank the middle-American masses for that. HRC and its members and volunteers (along with a whole host of other orgs like Pride, GLAAD, PFLAG, Lamda Legal, etc.) are working hard to change hearts and minds. You may not see it on a federal level, but it's happening every day, in small towns and big cities, on farms and in subdivisions.

Vote. Get your people to vote. That is where change will happen and that's what HRC is about.

Posted by
SB |
September 15, 2006 11:45 PM

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